Aprichelle
5/5
Through NHS 'Right to Choose', we came to Evolve Children's Psychology Service for our youngest child who was 7 years old at the time.
Method:
Having previous knowledge surrounding the topic of psychology due to circumstances outside of this experience, I was dubious regarding how they could assess a child so young with meeting the child in person only once.
The Process:
Evolve was INCREDIBLY thorough; yes, much of the work feels like it is placed squarely on the parents, but you know your child best (one would hope), so you are likely the best placed person to answer the big & pressing questions about how your child's symptoms present. If your child attends a mainstream or specialist setting, Evolve liaise with them with your written consent.
Virtually There:
We as parents, had several virtual meetings with professionals. I know a lot of people feel divided about virtual meetings, feeling they're just a 'hangover' from COVID lockdown days. That said, I find that in this circumstance because we are assessing a mental health matter, & doesn't require any physical assessment, the virtual meetings are actually very easy, saving the frustration of driving, finding the place, parking & child care arrangements for siblings.
We both agreed that we felt that our clinicians were very 'switched on' & actually listened to our concerns as parents. It was nice to finally be heard & believed that our youngest child was presenting with 'A, B, and C symptoms', because to that point in time, masking made it difficult for anyone in a professional capacity to assess our child accurately.
Ultimately, the method Evolve implements is brilliant & here's why;
+They gather TONS of information from you;
+ They gather TONS of information from the school (or alternatively, someone else who is close with, or spends a lot of time with your child, ie, karate instructor, swim club instructor etc);
+Evolve spend the better part of a day, armed with all this information in an intensive interaction with the child, from play sessions, to QB testing, with both a SaLT, as well as a clinical child psychologist.
There's a team of 5-8 professionally & highly qualified people who help assess your child.
We could not have felt more secure in the process & method of assessment than the one our child underwent with the team at Evolve.
Diagnosis method:
The individuals who have assessed your child then get together, and have an interdisciplinary meeting to discuss findings, & if there's any further diagnostics information required to meet or decline the DSM-V criteria, which is the "gold standard" in diagnosing a psychiatric disorder or condition.
We came away with a 30 PAGE in- depth assessment from a panel of professionals; we were impressed, & overwhelmed by their depth of insight and thoroughness. It was like we were holding gold in our hands.
Answers:
So now you are finally armed with answers as to what has been plaguing your child.
In the wise words of Bob the Builder... "Can we fix it?" Evolve makes their recommendations in the 30 page bundle. Problem is, Evolve CANNOT do anything further for you as it's beyond their remit under their NHS contract.
Turfed to the Back of the NHS Queue:
So now you go back to your lovely GP with your child's diagnosis', & following NHS procedure if you need medication or any therapies, you must then be referred to your community paediatrics team.
But you're not dealt with by a swifter method just because you've got a diagnosed child now-- you are put at the BACK OF THE QUEUE, behind the throngs of children who still need hearing tests, blood tests, qb tests, & further ed psych assessments, which are also outsourced, so yet another waiting list on top of the one you're currently sat on; last I heard, we have a 2 year wait before they'll address our son's diagnosis, & titrate the medication that would alleviate his symptoms.
Is it worth it?
Yes, absolutely. At least due to Evolve's help, as parents and a family you can move forward with appropriate support at school, or your specialist setting.
5/5 ⭐
